(1) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cartridge with firing actuation of its payload, and more particularly to a cartridge of the type intended to be released from an aircraft and fitted with a percussion system and a firing delay, so as to explode on the rebound at a constant altitude independent of that of release.
(2) Description of the Prior Art
To cover a relatively substantial ground area by means of missiles released from aircraft such as aeroplanes or helicopters, use is usually made of cartridges or missiles exploding at a certain altitude above ground. The explosion may be obtained by fitting the missile with a proximity detector wich controls its firing when it reaches a certain distance from the ground. However this does not provide fully satisfactory results as proximity detectors are relatively complex, and pose reliability problems.
Other methods have been proposed to ensure the explosion of the missiles at a given distance from the ground, consisting of fitting the missile with a delay firing chain, fired when the missile is ejected from its case. However with these previously proposed methods the flight characteristics of the aircraft from which the missile is released must then be determined depending upon the timing of the firing delay, so as to ensure the explosion of the missile when the latter is at the required distance from the ground. However, it will be easily understood that it is very difficult under the usual conditions of missile release to control with sufficient accuracy the flight characteristics of the aircraft and to guarantee the explosion of the missile at the desired height above ground.